TNAG-1167-FCO40-1447-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 127

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH

H Steel Esq CMG OBE

Law Officers' Department Attorney-General's Chambers Royal Courts of Justice Strand

LONDON WC2 2LL

Telephone 01-

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HER 040/

233 3184 11 FERDS2

Your reference

Pas 213

Our reference,

HKK 0401

Date

Bu 2

10 February 1982

Dear Steel

FUTURE OF HONG KONG

noted Alas otr

See (83

HICK 040/1

(215)

1981

1. Please refer to Tony Rushford's letter of 23 October 1981.

2. I thought it would be useful and Rushford agrees if we were to bring you up to date on the trend of our thoughts. In particular, we are looking at various options that might enable the UK, with China's agreement, to continue to administer Hong Kong in much the same way as at present. (For the time being we are not pursuing the idea of acting unilaterally see paragraph 7(b) of Rushford's letter).

3. In consultation with Rushford we have produced a draft paper which we are sending to our Ambassador in Peking and the Governor in Hong Kong for their comments. A copy is enclosed for your information.

4. You will have had copies of Rushford's recent minuting on the future, but you may like to have copies of some earlier minuting as follows:

HKIC 040/1 1981-

/

(222A

(230

270A

242

(260

attached to

аккотор

5.

a) Rushford's minute of 5 November 1981 to Friar;

b) My minute of 12 November 1981 to Rushford;

c) Rushford's minute of 13 November 1981 to me;

d) Rushford's minute of 16 November 1931 to me;

e) Rushford's minute of 7 December 1981 to Morris;

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f) Rushford's paper of 9 December 1981 on the legal implications 1981

1983-3

g) my Minute of 4 January to Rushford;

h) Rushford's minute of 5 January to me.

Any comments you may care to make would be welcome. We shall be glad to discuss these matters in greater depth if you wish.

cc without encls:

Your

Die!

ст

RD Clift

Hong Kong and General Department

F Burrows Esq CMG Legal Advisers FCO

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